A man withdrew a case accusing people of killing his son during the July 2024 mass uprising in Gazipur after an investigation was ordered. But by then, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) had already concluded that the allegation was entirely false.
Abu Sayeed did die from injuries sustained in an attack. However, investigators found that the incident was unrelated to the uprising and instead stemmed from an extramarital affair.
A separate case had already been filed over the killing. Yet after the fall of the Awami League government during the uprising, Sayeed’s father Rafiqul Islam filed another case naming 167 people, including deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as accused.
Two cases were filed over the incident. One was lodged at the police station by Abu Sayeed’s uncle, while the other was filed in court by his father.
After the matter came to light, Rafiqul told TIMES of Bangladesh that he filed the case following the advice of a lawyer. However, he refused to disclose the lawyer’s name or explain why he had been encouraged to file the case.
Although filing a false case is punishable under the law, police have taken no action against either the plaintiff or the lawyer.
According to official figures, more than 800 people were killed during the July uprising, and cases were filed over many of those incidents. However, questions have emerged across the country over the credibility of hundreds of cases filed using the uprising as a backdrop. Thousands of innocent people have allegedly been implicated in such cases.
The issue remains under discussion two years later. It was also raised during the recently concluded deputy commissioners’ conference, where the government instructed authorities to expedite the disposal of such cases to provide relief to innocent people.
However, no action has yet been taken against those who filed false allegations, despite it being a punishable offence under the law.
What the case says
In the complaint filed at a Gazipur court in September 2024, following the fall of the Awami League government the previous month, Rafiqul Islam alleged that his son Abu Sayeed was injured around 5:30pm on 5 August 2024 near the Sripur flyover area in Gazipur.
The complaint alleged that Sayeed was shot and hacked with machetes on the orders of Sheikh Hasina, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and then private investment adviser to the prime minister Salman F Rahman, and at the instigation of Gazipur district Awami League President Mozammel Haque.
Abu Sayeed was taken to Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital in Gazipur after being injured. Nearly a month later, on 2 October, he died at the hospital.
After a hearing, the court accepted the case and assigned PBI Sub-Inspector Shah Kamal to investigate it. During the investigation, plaintiff Rafiqul Islam withdrew the case.
While investigating, Shah Kamal found that Abu Sayeed had not died in connection with the movement. Investigators found that he had allegedly been involved in a relationship with a married woman from the same neighbourhood and was killed over the affair.
Another case filed by uncle
Another case over the same incident was filed at Sripur Police Station in Gazipur by Abu Sayeed’s uncle Rashidul Islam.
The case, filed on 3 October 2024, stated that Sayeed was hacked to death inside a salon around 10:00pm the previous night.
The investigation officer in the case, SI Obaidul Islam, told TIMES that the only accused is a man named Khalil, who remains absconding.
Plaintiff Rashidul Islam told TIMES, “Abu Sayeed worked in Sripur. We did not know he had a relationship with a woman. Since my brother Rafiqul was in Feni at the time, I filed the case. Later, I heard my brother filed another case in court.”
Inconsistencies in Rafiqul’s statements
Abu Sayeed’s father Rafiqul Islam told TIMES, “My son was hacked to death inside a salon. I do not understand much, so my cousin filed the case at Sripur Police Station. But he did not follow up on the matter. So, on the advice of some people, I filed another case in court.”
When asked who those people were, he eventually said it was a lawyer. But when asked to identify the lawyer, he disconnected the call without answering.
Asked why he later sought to withdraw the case, Rafiqul said, “A local police officer told me I would not get justice for my son’s murder through this case. That is why I withdrew it from the court.”
He also claimed he knew little about the 167 people named as accused in the case. “I do not know much about these things. I had only one son. I want justice for his murder,” he said.
PBI investigation officer Shah Kamal told TIMES, “After the case came to me, I faced considerable difficulties. Later, after speaking with local authorities and residents, I learned the full background of the incident. It was a false case. The actual incident involved a murder over an extramarital affair.”
Asked whether he had recommended action against the plaintiff for filing a false case, he said, “No, we will not take any steps regarding that.”
Under Bangladesh’s criminal law, filing a false case is a punishable offence. The punishment can include up to seven years’ imprisonment, a financial penalty, or both. Victims of false cases may file counter-complaints, police may recommend punishment, and courts can also issue orders on their own initiative.
However, examples of punishment for false cases remain rare.
